Customer Reviews

Dora the Explorer - Dora Saves the Prince [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My daughter, who is almost 3, ADORES Dora. It's nice for her to take such an interest in a show that features a smart girl (Dora). We love how Dora asks for input during her journey providing an element of participation. It's great in teaching memory skills (necessary in helping Dora find her way) and a bit of Spanish language is tossed in for extra value and fun. The videos feature two adventures lasting 20 - 25 minutes each -- the perfect amount of time to fix dinner! The Dora videos are a great addition to our video library.

My only complaint is I would like to see Dora on DVD (currently only available on VHS).

For anyone new to the "Dora the Explorer" series, Dora is a little Latina girl who is best friends with a monkey named Boots. Each program has Dora and Boots on a mission to get from point A to point Z by using a map. The program itself is presented in an interactive style- Dora asks the kids questions, and there is an appropriate lag of silence for your child to respond (e.g. Dora will ask your child's name, or, at the end of the program, she will ask your child waht was his/her favorite part). Also, there is a computer mouse that clicks on the corrects choices to get Dora and Boots to their destination. "Dora Saves the Prince" finds Dora and Boots helping a young prince that has been trapped by an evil witch, who of course, becomes a "friend" in the end. You will be surprised how easily your child will learn new words in Spanish (certain characters, like Tico the Squirrel, only speak Spanish, so Dora encourages your child to use Spanish words to communicate with them)- my 3 and 2 year old kids shocked me when they started counting to 5 in Spanish without coaching or prompting. The "Dora" series is one to own.

At the beginning I thought that Dora was not so helpful in teaching Spanish to toddlers. Well, I was wrong. It's not a crash course but it gives some words that can turn out useful.
My daughter loves Dora, and the episodes in this tape are nice. The story of Dora saves the prince is a traditional story where an evil-minded witch secludes a young prince in a high tower. Now a little girl with her faithfull monkey save the prince.
The plot is like every fairy-tales for children you can find. However, Dora the rescuer is a real change, a little girl instead of the usual prince, this time behind bars in a tower. Moreover, the evil-minded witch repents herself and become a good witch. A happy end without hurting anybody. Well done.

I agree with the customer who wrote the "Hocus Pocus" review. My little girl adores Dora and I do not think the "witchcraft" in this video is even an issue. I think that we are all concerned about what our children view, but I also think it is important that our children are educated. There is nothing in the Dora videos that does not promote education of some sort. As to that, the earlier reviewer who had a problem with that might need to watch these videos. If she wasn't so busy looking for "evil" in everything, she might become a little educated herself and learn to spell.

My little children loved this video.They like being able to talk back to Dora. They think Boots the monkey is the cutiest monkey on TV.They also like the spanish words Dora uses in her videos. my kids love it when Dora saves the prince they always clap for Dora and Boots.

My three year old son loves Dora! I like that he is learning Spanish, problem solving, map reading and a positive image of women. This episode was one of the two things he actually "asked" Santa for, as he is very intrigued with castles and dragons at this stage in life. Both episodes reinforce all the expected elements from a Dora episode, and both get my son up OFF the couch and moving while he watches. As for the "evil" magic...oh, come on! If you are going to be that over the top, let's report Dora's mom to the Division of Family Services for letting her daughter run around the jungle with a monkey in red boots! Children are not frightened by magic,they are themselves the embodiment of magic. What I find horrific is that such a "concerned mother" has such horrible spelling and grammar!

My two toddlers love the Dora videos. My babies (who are two and three) can actually count to ten in Spanish. My three year old learned his colors in spanish before he learned them in english. Nick Jr. is a wonderful tool for getting your kids ready for kindergarden.
I do have a question for the mothers who have bought this video. I have not seen it yet. But, I need to know if the frog episode has the dreaded Echo Bush in it. My three year old is over sensitive (unfortunately he gets it from me) and freaks out every time he sees the Echo Bush on tv. Otherwise i would love to add this video to my collection. Please e-mail me and let me know. My address is firegoddess24@hotmail.com thankyou
In case you were wondering, I had to rate this video in order to send in my question.

I have to say as a teacher of preschool students and the mother of a toddler I love the Dora series. I find the main character refreshing and the use of Spanish a reminder that we're all not the same and that it's ok. As for the "christian mother" who is concerned about the "witchcraft" in the video, aren't you taking things a little too far? Isn't it better your child goes to school with the knowledge of fairytales and the difference between fact and fiction? As a parent it is your job to teach those differences as fairytales are a part of literature and you can't shelter a child forever. Instead of keeping the videos from her, use it as a "teachable moment" It would be a shame to let such a wonderful video series be kept from her and her education.

I'm fairly new to the Dora scene as we didn't have cable when my oldest was a preschooler, but was apalled today to hear Dora and Boots singing a song teaching my child wicken!! I can live with witches on the show and pretend play of fairytale lands, but to actually promote something like that is just wrong. Unless Dora is going to start singing "Jesus Loves Me" and maybe something Jewish, I think she needs to leave out the wicken! I TOTALLY agree with the other mom who was so upset about finding this in a children's show. She probably misspelled things because she was so upset. If you all are so concerned about it being such a wonderful teaching tool, then you are paying very close attention to what it's really teaching! My daughter that didn't have Dora learned Spanish just fine from Big Bird and Rosetta and that's where we'll stay!

Well, as always, this Dora video is wonderful. Can't seem to buy enough of them to keep my daughter happy. And, in response to the over-protective, extremely religious individual who posted the review below, I only have two things to say -- #1, please don't go out of your way to impose your religious beliefs upon those of us who get enough preaching on Sundays, and #2, can you honestly tell me that you are so self-absorbed that you can't even, for one minute of your existance on this earth, remember the fun and enjoyment of your youth? Believe me, lady, a little abracadabra every once in a while could make this world a little more tolerable.